Reconstituted collagen is used in the manufacture of tubular casings for meats, such as sausages. The collagen used in these casings is usually derived from the corium layer of bovine hides. The collagen raw material is comminuted, and mixed with a swelling agent to produce a uniform dispersion from which a continuous tube is formed. The tube is then neutralized by the injection of gaseous ammonia or by contact with a liquid salt solution. The casing is washed in water to remove neutralization salts, plasticized by passing it through successive liquid baths and dried while inflated. Examples of such processes are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,535,125, 3,821,439, 4,388,331, and 5,820,812, the entire contents of each of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
It is desirable in some cases to apply flavorings to the casings to provide a desired flavor to the meat product. For example, it may be desirable to flavor a collagen casing with a composition typically referred to as smoke flavor to impart a “smoked” flavor and aroma to the meat product. The present invention is directed to a device that may be used to apply liquid flavors, such as smoke flavor, to collagen casings to be used with meat products, and methods of applying liquid flavors to collagen casings using the device.